French President Emmanuel Macron has announced tough new plans to crack down on immigration and asylum in France.
The new proposals would speed up the process by which migrants apply for asylum in the country, and reform the ability of authorities to deport migrants whose asylum claims are unsuccessful. Reforming immigration and asylum policy in France has long been a priority area for Macron’s government, and a majority of French people believe the country has too many migrants according to a number of recent polls.
Macron’s proposals also include a regulation doubling the time a person without papers can be held in a holding centre to 90 days, and steps to reduce the period over which an application for asylum can be considered to a maximum of six months including appeal.
How was the plan received?
The plan has attracted controversy, and human rights activists have warned that the shorter deadlines it proposes will restrict the ability of asylum seekers to protect their rights. It has also been controversial among members of Macron’s centrist party, with the measures which facilitate quicker deportations drawing particular criticism.
Additionally, the proposals have been criticised by human rights groups and even government refugee protection body OFPRA, and have triggered street protests by stakeholders in charge of asylum procedures.
How has the government responded?
In April the plan will be debated in France’s parliament. Despite the controversy the bill has generated, French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb, who presented the bill yesterday, insisted that it is totally balanced and completely in line with European immigration and asylum law. He called the 90-day limit on detentions ‘not exorbitant’ compared to other European states.
France saw more than 100,000 people apply for asylum last year, 17% higher than the year before. During the migrant crisis of 2015-16, the French port of Calais became a significant gathering point for migrants, which led to a recent commitment between the UK and France to fund additional security at the border.
